


FIC: Somewhere On The Way [for Caffrey-Burke Day]

by BlueDiamondStar



Category: White Collar
Genre: Caffrey-Burke Day, Fic, Sequel, White Collar - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2017-12-30 07:15:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1015696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDiamondStar/pseuds/BlueDiamondStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time has gone but he still feels wrong...</p>
            </blockquote>





	FIC: Somewhere On The Way [for Caffrey-Burke Day]

**White Collar  
** T  
Neal C./ Peter B 

**_Summary:_ ** Time has gone but he still feels wrong...

 

~~~~~wc~~~~wc~~~~~~wc~~~~~~~

 

 

It took Neal about three days to be coherent and awake again. It didn't lessen his pain though.

But the only thing that kept the young man from slipping into his mind's darkest corners or start worrying about what had happened was Peter's presence. The agent didn't leave the ex-conman and to injured man it meant world.

But being mostly coherent and awake, without the heaviest pain killers Neal was more closed again.  
Of course, it meant no more singing or other weird drug induced behavior, too.  
Not that Peter complained. And Neal had suspicions that Peter had indeed enjoyed this more uncontrolled, and more open Neal just fine.  
Which didn't ease the man's in question initial worry.

Even week after the events Neal was clueless, and pretty much everyone else as well, of what made him appear in the woods in such a bad shape.  
All Neal, and Peter, and pretty much everyone at NYPD too, could think of was that he had somehow fallen off the cliff and ended up next to the tree by rolling away from the cliffside.

But still, when there were only two of them, Neal let his worry to show, finally. And Peter, holding, more like griping his friend's hand, admitted his own troubled thoughts of what the whole situation meant to anything. And that was probably one of the rarest moments, because both men, despite all their adventures.

Still, the bigger question than why he was found where he was, was question of why he even was there.  
The question that, as Neal was getting better, started to worry him. And there was reason to be worried. Marshals were being rather insisting on making sure he won't be running, so there was a guard posted outside the hospital room he was in.  
Not that Peter liked it. But there was nothing to be done about it. He was deemed flight risk and not even cast on his leg nor arm could change anything. Even after nearly a month at hospital Marshals seemed to not let themselves off guard. Numerous times someone had come and asked the same weird questions, well, maybe not weird. After all they had rights to ask him. Criminals like him, even reformed, didn't deserve any leeway. So it wasn't anything unusual to be interrogated just before leaving hospital. And Peter had to fight double hard to not let them cuff his friend and haul off to jail. Hughes did have a tell in all this so Neal was let be.  
But only with a tracker and under close supervision provided by Peter.

At least one good thing in all this situation.  
And they both knew that Neal won't be running anywhere. Just like he wasn't the last time. Yes, he was running, but not like he was years ago. He was running from something, someone.

"How are you doing?" Peter asked when they were on the long way, it seemed long to Neal, to casa Burke.

"Fine." Was Neal's monosybillic reply. He couldn't shake off this heavy feeling that has been pressuring him from deep inside ever since came off the heavy painkillers.

"Neal." Peter had this warning tone. "You can't be just fine. Not after what happened. You know that."

And he knew. But he just couldn't shake it off. The strange feeling was eating him. "Peter, please, just let it be. I really don't know what you wanna hear. Obviously I can't be just fine, so I'm not. What else?" Neal snapped. And immediately regretted. Peter didn't deserve such reply. "I'm sorry." He apologized quietly, ashamed of his outburst.  
But Neal's nerves were fried.

"It's okay, buddy. We'll deal with this. I won't let them lock you up for something you haven't done." Peter assured. He was worried about Neal and this whole situation just didn't sit right with him from the very beginning.  
It was all weird but nothing they could change or pretend didn't happen. Because it did.

"Neal, look. What happened to you wasn't your fault. And before you say something, yes, I know you wouldn't run away from me, us, the bureau, Mozzie, June, your life here. I trust you." Peter had spoken.

The following silence was resounding. It reverberated through Neal's body and he could feel how serious Peter had meant it.

"I..." Neal started. But his voice stuck somewhere in his throat.  
"I... I trust you too, Peter." Was ex-con's final words before the tired man closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Despite the lengthy hospital stay and recovery time he was halfway through it still wasn't enough to end all his pain. He was still in pain, easily exhausted and occasionally dizzy and nauseas.  
And for some reason Neal was still seeing the same weird dream. A baby deer hovering over his sleeping form and no matter how hard he was trying he couldn't move. All the time deer had sniffed him but Neal only laid on the ground, listening the faraway thunder grumbles.  
He had no idea why the dream kept haunting him. Nobody had said much about the way they had found him, and Neal hadn't been in a mood to find out.

"Peter?" He suddenly spoke, in a soft voice he no longer recognized his own.

"Yes, Neal?" Peter kept his eyes firmly on the road.

"How did you find me?" fidgeting with the seatbelt Neal asked.

"Your anklet. It was still broadcasting, albeit barely. But it sorta came to life when we got closer." the agent dutifully answered the question. Then he stole the glance over at the man in passenger seat.  
Neal was looking out of car's window, the city passing by.  
"I think I heard you. But there was something else too, but I don't know what." the man spoke. He had hard time to understand what had happened. His memory was totally scrapped. Only distinct feeling of something.

The doctor had said there were really tiny probability of some belated symptoms. That worried Peter. Brain injury was always a tricky bastard.  
And Neal had been lucky his fracture was just there, that he hadn't bashed his skull completely and his brain turned Jell-O. Oh, how Peter was glad about that. Concussion was already enough.

"It's gonna be alright. You will be okay. I'll make sure of that." The agent promised. And it was both - Peter the FBI agent and Peter the friend.  
He glanced at Neal, who had closed his eyes once again.  
He will make sure everything is back to the way it was. And he will not leave his friend alone. Peter was going to prove Neal's innocence.

It was only silence as they neared agent's house, but it was enough to know that he missed Neal's usual chatter. He missed the boy's charms and stories. Missed so many things Neal wasn't… hadn't been anymore since he woke up at hospital.  
And as he pulled up at his house, Peter promised himself to do whatever was in his power to make things right again. To fix whatever mess someone wanted to put Neal in.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> a sequel to Somewhere Under The Trees and celebratory piece for Caffrey-Burke Day


End file.
